Endstille - Infektion 1813 (2011)

The previous Endstille album, Verführer, left me with a favorable impression of the German band's evolution. Taut and refined, there was this uncanny knack for generating a sublime melody against the razor sheen of traditional chords redolent of the Norse and Swedish black metal pantheons. For Infektion 1813, they have continued this tradition, and while there are no songs with quite the same impact as, say, "Of Disorder", there is still quite a wealth of subtlety grafted against the snappy blast work and driving rhythms. Former rasper Iblis has since left the band, but they've brought forward a scene veteran in Zingultus, who many will know from German standards Graupel, Graven, and perhaps most importantly for fronting a few albums by the late, great Nagelfar.

I won't attest that his presence is greater or lesser than that of Iblis, but his vocals bear a more full bodied torment, and he has no problem fitting into the material. Speaking of which, I feel that Infektion 1813 is front loaded with some of its better pieces, the straightaway "Anomie" with its dense threads of torture, tiny pangs of melody infused into the blast; and "Trenchgoat" (ha ha ha), a testament to controlled savagery. Neither offers much variation in its structure, but then, this is not a band who pride themselves on such a strategy. No, they choose to beat you bleary with their centrifuge of snarling force and then allow your imagination to work upon the target rich environment of ambiance created through the sheer repetition and simplistic melody. When it works, as with 3-4 of the tracks here, it creates a hypnotic, lulling effect of abandon.

Endstille is not all monotony, of course, and they mix it up a little by incorporating gang shouts ("The Deepest Place on Earth") and narrative ("Endstille/Völkerschlächter"), not to mention some deeper, driving black grooves via Darkthrone ("Bloody H/The Hurt-Gene"). Lyrically, they seem to explore not only the usual suspects of Satanism and the occult, but also delve into the fascinating majesty and conflict of their country's history. I've always gotten the feeling that the band is smarter than they let on with such simple and predictable songwriting, and I admit I wouldn't mind hearing some more variation the next time out: Infektion 1813 has slightly more range than its predecessor, but I was never quite so mesmerized by the content. Still, they've not put out a bad album, and if you're deeply fused to the underlying ethos of the genre, spiked with just a little something extra, you may well be pleased with its controlled vitriol.

Verdict: Win [7.25/10]

http://www.endstille.com/

Endstille - Verführer (2009)

Germany has now proven itself one of the most robust and populated black metal scenes in the world, and few bands have been working harder at it than Endstille. Formed only at the turn of the century, they have already released six albums of a quality ranging from just good to great. Stylewise, this band emulates the harsh Swedish style of a band like Marduk or Dark Funeral, except that they have the ability to inject a subtle sense of graceful post-black riffing that creates a warmth and vibrancy to almost all of their tracks, which so many other bands in this genre lack.

Make no mistake, Endstille is not some post-black metal band, they excel at all the elements you expect: gut wrenching speed picked rhythms, a storm of drumming that simply cannot be human, and snarls of abandon and torment. Previous album Endstilles Reich was superb, but this is a match for it at every turn. "Alteration of Roots" is a whirlwind of driving rhythms, thundering blasts and creates a razor edged, melodic sheen, but "Of Disorder" is so wonderfully dark, graceful and punishing that I had to replay it a half a dozen times the first time I heard it. While repetitious, you just don't get sick of it. There are also a slew of other fantastic tracks, such as the disturbing "Monotonus" and the rusted razorblade grace of "Symptoms". A few of the tracks don't quite live up to the rest of the album. I found "Suffer in Silence" mildly boring, lacking that 'hook' this band always spews forth in its better songs. "Dead" is energetic, but had no hook in my flesh.

Despite these few flaws, Verführer is still a solid as hell album with a killer mix that captures its wrist cutting dementia. The cover art featuring Emperor Wilhelm II is a nice touch, and the band is in fine form as they continue to add corpses to their pile. German black metal really is the 'now', with a long line of bands offering quality material for your consumption and suicide. Endstille is one of the artists at the forefront, and their hard work has garnered them some attention beyond the borders. It is well deserved. Check out this album.

Verdict: Win [8.5/10]

http://www.endstille.com/